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Centennial 
Souvenir 




A BRIEF HISTORY 



OF 



NEWPORT, MAINE 



1814 



1914 



A Broad Lxpanse 

OF 

Lake Sebasticook 




A Broad Expanse of Lake SehaMicook. 
Neviwrt, Maine 



Newport, Maine 



1914 

ARTHUR W. LANDER, PRINTER 
NEWPORT, MAINE 



ELECTED OFFICERS OF THE TOWN OF NEWPORT 
FOR THE YEAR 1814 



Alodcrator 
James Footman 

Clerk 
Benjamin Shaw 

Selectmen, Assessors and Overseers of the Poor 
JKTHRO Sanborn, William Martin, Samuel Hayden 

Treasurer 
William Martin 

Collector and Constable 
Jesse Rowe 

Surveyors of Higlnvays 

William Maine, Daniel Stuart, Aretas Rowe, 

James Footman, Joseph Small 

Culler of Staves and Hoops 
Thomas Steward 

Fence Vieivers 
Nathaniel Stuart, James Wilson 

Surveyors of Lumber 
Nathaniel Martin, Benj. Shaw 

Tythingmen 
Jesse Miles, James Footman, James Wilson 

Hog Reeves 

Benjamin Field, John Turner, David Wilson, 

Daniel Ireland 

Field Drivers 

John Norton, Daniel Ciiadburne, William Holbr(X)K, 

Thomas Bicknell 

Found Keeper 
William Martin 



ELECTED OFFICERS OF THE TOWN OF NEWPORT 
FOR THE YEAR 1914 



Moderator 
Forrester B. Burns 

Clerk 
Frank N. Merrill 

Sclectnicfi, Assessors and Overseers of the Poor 
Edwin R. Leach, Daniel W. WheelEr, Adelbert L. Gray 

Toxvn Agent 
William H. Mitchell 

Treasurer 
John O. Gilman 

Superintending ScJiool Connnittee 

Charles M. Barbour (elected in 1912). Alfred M. Morrh.l 

(elected in 1913). SamuEL P. Ireland (elected in 1914) 

Engineers fire Department 

John E. Hefferen, Chief; Chas. W. Brann, ist Asst. ; 

A. Earl Ellis, 2nd Asst. 

Constables 
John E. Hefferen, Edgar R. Dow. Alvie E. Woodman 

Auditor 
Hubert M. Ward well 

Collector 
JuDSON E. OakEs 

Connnittee to Enforce Toxvn Ordinances 
John E. Hefferen, Edgar R. Dow, Alvie E. Woodivian 

Sexton Riverside Cemetery 
HoLLis W. Brackett 

Superintendent of Schools 
William C. McCue 



A Brief History 



Introductory 

To the many residents, past and present, of Newport, and to 
the muhitude of visitors to this favored spot, our town needs 
no argument as to wliat nature has done in the way of natural 
advantages, or as to what man has accomphshed in the deve!- 
o])ing and huikHng of a pubHc-spirited community. We recog- 
nize with a feehng- of gratitude the fact that the town has been 
so well favored in its natural advantages, and we appreciate 
what has been done by man in the substantial progress that has 
been made since the early settlement of Newport. Much credit 
is i\uc to those early pioneers for their courage and patient in- 
dustry in the clearing of the ])rimeval forests, the tilling of the 
>oi] ;ind the building of comfortable homes for their families. 
From time to time during the first seventy-five years of the 
town's history industries were established, only to pass out of 
existence in one way or another. The lack of transportation 
facilities of the earlier days, tlie passing of old-time machinery 
and methods, and, above all else, the ravages of fire, all com- 
])ined to retard the material development of the town until with 
the awakening of the citizens to the necessity of suital)le fire 
])rotection as a preliminary measure, and then the putting of 
shoulder to shoulder in a concerted and united elTort, combined 
to the realization of the permanent and successful modern indus- 
tries of today, thus marking the new era in the history of our 
town. 

This little l)ook is intended to cover in a brief and imperfect 
maimer the entire history of Newport, both ancient and modern. 
In the collection of the data of the early history of the town 
tlie author has derived substantial assistance in the preparation 
of this work through the writings of Francis M. Shaw, who 
was for many years clerk and historian of the town, and a citi- 
zen highly esteemed by his many acquaintances. Mr. Shaw 
was justly regarded as authority on the early history of Newport 
and the town is fortunate in the possession of valuable manu- 
script copied from the scrap book in which he so carefully pre- 
served data of historical interest. 

W. H. MiTCHEiviv. 

Newport, Maine, May ist, 1914. 



OF Newport, Maine 



Ne^vport, Maine 



Incorporated as the 208th town in the District of Maine, by 
act of the Legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 
approved June 14th, 1814. Originally Township No. 4 in the 
Third Range north of the Waldo Patent, as surveyed by 
Ephriam Ballard and Samuel Weston in the year 1792. con- 
taining 23,040 acres, more or less. A part of Lincoln County 
until the year 1789, when Hancock County was incorporated, 
and in the latter until the setting off of Penobscot County in 
1816. First organized as East Pond Plantation, so named from 
the Great East Pond, as Lake vSebasticook was then called. 
As a part of the Commonwealth lands the entire township was 
contracted for purchase by one John Hubbard of Readfield in 
the year 1795 ; subsequently Mr. Hubbard assigned his contract 
to David Greene of Boston, and the latter became the owner in 
fee of the entire township by deed executed by the committee 
appointed by the General Court of Massachusetts to convey 
Commonwealth lands, and it is a coincidence that the deed 
bears the date of June 14th, 1800, exactly fourteen years prior 
to the incorporation as a town. The price paid by Mr. Greene 
to the Commonwealth was $5,635, or about seventeen cents per 
acre, for the township; this price was considered a large sum 
when the township was contracted for by Mr. Hubbard, and 
he so expressed himself to the committee on sale of the public 
lands. Lots one, two, nine and ten, in the Fourth Range of 
township lots, were reserved in the deed for ministerial and 
school purposes, these four lots comprising 1280 acres, and 
from the sale of these lots the sum of $2400 was derived, which 
sum is held by the town and the interest thereon paid annually 
to the common school fund. 

Great East Pond, containing some six thousand acres, is situ- 
ated nearly in the center of the town, with three inlets and one 
outlet — the latter the east branch of the Sebasticook River, — 
and all were famous for their fish and game previous to actual 



6 A Bkiek History 



settlement of tlie township, for we are informed that prior to 
the year 1800 trappers came up the river and spent much of 
the season. The first settler was named James Houstin. who 
came from Fairfield in the year 1800. made a small clearing 
and erected a log house on Birch Point, where he lived for 
several years. Afterwards he lived in a camp he made at or 
near the junction of Martin Stream with the Sebasticook River, 
and here he died and was buried in the year 1817. Houstin 
was a single man and a great trapper in his day. It is supposed 
that as early as 1803 two log houses were erected in the present 
village of Newport ; one near tiie shore of the lake about wdiere 
the old town house is located ; the other on the east bank of the 
river near the present middle bridge. The first authentic account 
v.c have of a perm;nicnt settlement was in the year 1807, when 
Deacon John Ireland with his family came through the woods 
frcm Bloomfield (now a part of Skow began), the women on 
borsel)ack, the l)oys on foot, and located in North Newport on 
t!:c farm now owned b}- Frank Ireland, where a small clearing 
had l)een made and a camp built by Mr. Ireland and his boys 
the ])re\ious year (i8c6), when they had explored this section 
of the township. James Stuart located on the lot south of 
Deacon John Ireland; Nathaniel Burrill settled on the shore 
of the Pond and made the first clearing of wdiat is now the 
Turner farm ; Daniel Bicknell of Massachusetts purchased some 
si.\ hanidred acres and located the Ira Shepardson farm (since 
cut up iiUo smaller farms, now owned by J. E. Shepardson, 
D. S. ililliker, and others) ; these four, with Elam Pratt, w^ere 
llie first settlers at North Newport and the first permanent set- 
tlers in the town, all locating here in 1807. Among the early 
settlers in the village, or the Mill District as it was first called, 
was Esquire Benjamin Shaw, who, with Iphidiah Ring, came 
here from Deerfield, N. H., in the year 1808. 'Squire Shaw 
])urc]iased all the land between the Pond and what is now Main 
Street, and from the river westerly to what is now West Street. 
He built a log house near wdiere the present double tenement 
on North Street stands and hired Sanborn Elkins of Palmyra 
and Houstin, the trapper, to fell six acres of trees ; this clear- 
ing was from the Pond southerly and was the first made on 



OF Newport, Maine 



the west side of the river. A Httle later 'Squire Shaw erected 
the first frame house, now a part of the double tenement on 
North Street, and afterwards built the house now owned by 
Elbridge Ring at the corner of North and High Streets, where 
the first town meeting was held. Iphidiah Ring located on the 
hill and made the clearing for the present Libby farm. Two 
years later ( 1810) Robert Stuart located across the road from 
Ring and cleared what was afterwards known as the Henry 
Marsh farm. The same year James Stuart located the Moses 
Stuart farm further up the hill, and Nathaniel Martin located 
the farm now owned and occupied by J. L. Lewis. About this 
same time Isaac Lawrence located in the easterly part of the 
town near the Billings Hill. A saw mill was built by Esq. 
Shaw and Daniel Stuart near the present middle bridge, while 
Chandler Hopkins opened the first store near the upper bridge. 
The second frame house was built by Parker Eaton and is now 
the ell of the old-time Prescott tavern, now owned by Geo. W. 
Hanson. The first settled ministers were Rev. John Whitney 
of the Methodist denomination, and Rev. John York of the 
Free l^)aptists ; these were here as early as 1810. The first 
school was opened in the house of Iphidiah Ring and was taught 
by Miss Pluma Judkins, who afterwards married a Mr. Morrill 
and some of her descendants are among the younger of our 
citizens. 

The first formal gathering of the citizens of the town was 
at the house of Robert Stuart in the year 1812, and the object 
of the meeting was for mutual defence against the Indians, 
who, report said, were intending to massacre the white settlers. 
'Squire Shaw presided as chairman and a committee of five 
was chosen ; who, after due deliberation, brought in the follow- 
ing report: "That each head of family should prepare himself 
with a pound of powder and balls, put new flints in guns and 
keep them well loaded and hung up over the fire-place for 
immediate use in case of attack. Also that the women should 
keep kettles of water hot with suitable articles to throw the 
same, and that all the boys should keep a sharp look-out that 
they may not be surprised." The report was accepted unani- 
mously and the meeting adjourned. A few days later the In- 



g A Brief History 

dians came by way of the Stetson Stream, one hundred and 
fifty strong, and camped on Birch Point. Two citizens, with 
a flag of truce, volunteered to go and interview them and ascer- 
tain their intentions. During their absence the citizens took 
down the old flintlock muskets, the women saw to it that the 
kettles were filled with boiling water and all preparations were 
made for a brave defense. The two volunteers returned and 
reported that the chief said they were of the Penobscot tribe 
and had fled from the St. John tribe, with whom they had had 
trouble, and the Penobscots thought that the St. Johns were 
c(»ming over to fight them. These Indians spent about ten days 
irai)ping and hunting in the vicinity and then departed down 
the river. Their mode of travel was by way of the Kendus- 
keat;- Stream to Stetson; carry across to Stetson Pond; thence 
to Great East Pond and so on to the Kennebec ; this was the 
Indian highway between the two great rivers of Maine, and 
from it originated the name of Newport, so called because it 
afforded a portage for the Indians in their route to and from 
the Penobscot and the Sebasticook. 

During the few years previous to the war of 1812 settlers 
had continued to come in until East Pond Township had sixty- 
two inhabitants by the census of 1810, and nearly one hundred 
by the year 1812. The following year the population had so 
increased that a movement was made to incorporate the town 
and a petition was drawn up and signed by forty-two voters 
of the township, as follows : "To the Honorable Senate and 
House of Representatives, of the Commonwealth of Massa- 
chusetts, in General Court assembled in January, 181 4. Hum- 
bly Shew. The subscribers, inhabitants of Plantation No. 4, 
third range north of the Waldo Patent, lying partly in the 
County of Somerset and partly in the County of Hancock, that 
within said Plantation there are now more than one hundred 
inhabitants who are now suffering many and great incon- 
veniences by reason of not being incorporated. We, the sub- 
scribers, therefore pray your Honors to incorporate us into a 
town by the name of Newport ; and as the communication to 
a place for a market is nearer and easier to Penobscot river than 
it is to any place on the Kennebec river, we entreat your Honors 



OF Nemtort, Maine 9 

tliat you will annex us wholly to the County of Hancock, and 
as in duty bound will ever pray." 

This petition received favorable consideration and finally, 
on the fourteenth day of June. 1814. Newport became an 
incorporated town. 

The warrant for the first town meeting was issued by Simeon 
Stetson, a Justice of the Peace living in the town of Hampden, 
and read as follows : 

"To Benjamin Shaw, Esq.. of Newport in the County of 
Hancock. Creetiug: You are hereby requested in the name 
of tiie Ccnimonwealth of Ma.-^sachusetts to summon and notify 
the free holders and other inhabitants of said town qualified by 
law to vote in town meetings, viz : — such as pay to one single 
tax beside the poll or polls a sum equal to two-thirds of a single 
poll tax, to asseni!)le at your ow^n dwelling house in said Town 
on Monday the fifth day of September next, at ten of the Clock 
in the forenoon, to act on the following Articles, viz: 

Article i To choose a Moderator to govern said meeting, 
" 2 To choose a Town Clerk. 

*' 3 To choose three, five, seven or nine suitable and 
discreet persons of good conversation, inhab- 
itants of the town, to be Selectmen. 
" 4 Overseers of the poor, any number not exceeding 

twelve. 
" 5 A suitable person to be Treasurer. 
" 6 Three or more suitable persons to be Assessors of 

taxes. 
'' 7 A meet person to be Constable, 
" 8 A meet person or persons to be Collector of taxes. 
" 9 Two or more suitable persons to be Surveyors of 

highways. 
" 10 One or more suitable persons- to be sur^-eyors and 
measurers of boards, planks, timber and sHt 
wood. 
" II One or more suitable persons for viewers and 

cullars of stares and hoops, 
" 12 Tw^o or more discreet and judicious persotts, being 
inliabitants. of the tow^n, for Fence viewers. 



10 A BRif:F History 

" 13 Two or more suitable persons to be Tythingmen. 
'■ T4 Two or more persons for Hog reeves. 
" 15 A suitable person for Pound Keeper. 

16 Two or more persons for field drivers. 
" 17 To see if the town will direct in what way and 
method town meetings shall be warned in future. 
Hereof fail not and make due return of this warrant with 
your doings into the clerk's office at the said day and meeting. 
Dated at Hamjxlen. this the sixteeenth day of August in the 
year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and fourteen. 
(Signed) Simkon Stetson, Justice of the Peace."' 
The return on the warrant read as follows : 

"Newport. Sept. 5, 1814. 
In obedience to the within warrant I have notified the inhab- 
itants as within directed. (Signed) Benjamin Shaw." 

Agreeably to this call the town meeting was duly held and 
the following officers were elected — Moderator, James Foot- 
man ; Town Clerk. Benjamin Shaw ; Selectmen, Assessors and 
( )verseers of Poor, Jethro Sanborn, William Martin and Sam- 
uel Hayden ; Treasurer, William Martin ; Collector and Con- 
stable, Jesse Kowe. The remaining offices were all filled and 
it was voted that future town meetings be notified by posting 
two warrants, one in the Mill District at the mill, and one at 
Samuel llayden's, at North Newport. The second town meet- 
ing was held at Mr. Hayden's dwelling house on Sept. 23rd of 
the same year, at which it was voted that the selectmen, to- 
gether with James Footman and Benjamin Shaw, be a com- 
mittee to lay out town roads ; it was also voted "That if any 
labour is done on the roads wdiere they may be hereafter ac- 
cepted, those who do the same shall have pay for it at the 
apprisal of the surveyors." William Martin. John Ireland, 
Daniel Bicknell, Jethro Sanborn and Jesse Rowe were selected 
as a committee to divide the town into road and school districts. 
It was voted to accept a road commencing at Thomas Steward's 
in the southwest corner of lot No. 7 in the Fifth Range, thence 
running west to Sandy Point ; from thence in the best direction 
around the Pond to the east bank of the northwest inlet, a dis- 
tance of about two miles. This is the first record of a road 



OF Neavport, Maine 11 

within the town, although doubtless some others had already 
been laid out. It was voted that the selectmen be a committee 
of safety for the purpose of procuring arms and ammunition 
at the expense of the town and "that all reasonable charges 
therefor be paid by the treasurer." The third town meeting 
was held at the house of Isaac Lawrence in the east part of the 
town on Nov. 5th of the same year, at which action was had 
in relation to laying out other roads. 

The fourth town meeting was held at the home of William 
Martin in the Mill District on Monday, the sixth day of March, 
1815, and this one appears to have been the commencement of 
our annual town meetings as regards the time of holding the 
meetings. The first town meeting for the election of Common- 
wealth officers was held April 3rd, 181 5, when 68 votes were 
thrown for Governor; Samuel Dexter receiving 58 and Caleb 
Strong 10. At this meeting the town was divided into six school 
districts, the same to be highway districts, and agents were 
appointed as follows : Jesse Miles in No. i ; Iphidiah Ring in 
No. 2; Reuben Dennett in No. 3 ; James Gordon in No. 4; 
Isaac Burnett in No. 5, and Sylvanus Whiting in No. 6. It 
was decided to build a bridge across the northwest inlet at an 
expense of three hundred dollars. The sum of $1,500 was 
voted for highways (a very large amount for those days), $300 
for schools and $100 for town charges. 

For many years after Newport became a town it was the 
practice to hold the annual town meeting for the election of 
town officers, in the month of March or April, when the quali- 
fication for voting required that the voter should pay a single 
property tax equal to two-thirds of the poll tax. Then the 
annual meeting for the election of state and county officers 
would be held at another time in the month of April, when the 
qualification was that the voter should have a freehold estate 
of the annual income of three pounds, or any estate of the value 
of sixty pounds. The April meeting for the election of Com- 
monmealth and county officers in the year 181 5 was held at the 
home of Samuel Hayden in North Newport. The September 
town meeting of the same year at the dwelling of Daniel Stuart 
in the west part of the town. It was customary to hold two 



12 A Brief History 

town meetings each year for the consideration of town affairs, 
and the place for holding these meetings was changed from one 
section of the town to another to convenience the voters. In 
November, 1816. a special town meeting was held at the school 
house in district No. 2 to see about raising money for the repair 
of a county road ; the sum of $60 was raised for that purpose 
and a committee was aiipointcd "to see to it that the money was 
not wasted." 'fhis same year a committee of nine was ap- 
pointed (three for each section of the town) to select and buy 
for the town such lots of land as they should agree upon for 
burying grounds ; one and one-half acres for the Mill District, 
and one-half acre for each of the other two districts. No defi- 
m'te action was taken on burying grounds until seven years later 
(1823) when the town voted to accept the report of the com- 
mittee and purchase one-half acre of land of Nathaniel Stuart, 
for the sum of ^^25, and one-half acre of Daniel Stuart, next to 
the school house lot in Dist. No. 2, for the sum of $30. Nathan- 
iel Stuart catue here from Kingston, N. H.. in 1812, and located 
the Stuart fanu on the Dexter road. Daniel Stuart, also of 
Kingston, came here in the year 1810 and located on the east 
side of the river in the Mill District : he purchased a large tract 
of land on the east side and built a log house on the site of 
what was afterwards the Buswell place, now the home of Dr. 
Hawthorne: subsequently he erected a frame dwelling that was 
the pride of the town for many years thereafter. The first 
school house had been built on the Wilson hill, directly opposite 
the present residence of W. S. Townsend. Esq.. and before this 
(about the year 1813) a school w'as taught by one Daniel Veasey 
in the cellar kitchen of 'Squire Shaw's house, for which Mr. 
X'easey received the sum of $10 for teaching twenty-six eve- 
m'ngs, 'Squire Shaw giving the space and furnishing the fuel 
for >varnn'ng the same. The school house lot in Dist. No. 2. 
above referred to, together with the bur^-ing ground lot of one- 
half acre mentioned,, is situated on Elm Street, next south of 
the railroad tracks : the cemeterj- has long since been abandoned 
as a burying ground, while the old school building \^-as changed 
over into a d^^-eHing house that stands next beyond! the old cem- 
eterv. 



or Newport, Maine 13 

The first recorded marriage in town was performed by 'Squire 
Shaw at his residence in the Mill District, the contracting par- 
ties being James Clark and Miss Polly Lawrence. In 1818 a 
notable event happened in town, on Saturday the 14th of No- 
vember, Caleb Shaw, a brother to 'Squire Benjamin, arrived in 
a wheeled vehicle from Bangor ; this was the first wagon drawn 
by a horse ever seen in town, and it produced quite a sensation 
as it drew up to the store and post-office, near the upper bridge. 
After a stay of a few days with his brother Benjamin, Caleb 
drove through to the Kennebec ; this being the first wheeled 
vehicle known to have been driven from the Penobscot to the 
Kennebec. At that time 'Squire Shaw owned nearly all the 
land westerly from the river to Palmyra town line, including 
the principal portion of the present village. To pay for this 
large tract of land he borrowed money from his nephew, Ben- 
jamin Shaw of Savannah, Georgia,^afterw^ard of Palmyra and 
Newport, — and also borrowed from John Wilson of Brentwood, 
N. H. In the settlement of this loan, John Wilson took several 
hundred acres of land in payment, moved to Newport in 1818, 
and built the large square house on the hill, where E. J. Soper 
afterwards lived, already mentioned as the residence of W. S. 
Townsend at the present time. 

Mr. Wilson was a surveyor and a school master; as a sur- 
veyor he laid out many of the streets of the west side of the 
village. Another large tract of the present village site was 
taken over by Benjamin Shaw in payment of the loan to his 
uncle. 'Squire Benjamin. The latter was a very prominent 
man in his day ; was elected delegate to the constitutional con- 
vention that drafted the constitution of our state, and was the 
representative from this town to the first session of the Maine 
Legislature, at Portland. 

As an illustration of the scarcity of money in those days, the 
following is copied from the town records of the annual meet- 
ing held in 1821 : "Voted, to pay all the expenses of the present 
year (state and county tax excepted) in corn and grain, and to 
allow six shillings per bushel for corn and rye and nine shillings 
per bushel for wheat." After more deliberation and discussion, 
it was voted to reconsider the above vote, and "to allow one 



14 A Brief History 



dollar per bushel for wheat and four shillings per bushel for 
corn and rye, and that corn and grain shall be paid into the 
treasury on or before the first day of February, next, and the 
treasurer is to keep the bills till that time, after which all delin- 
quent persons are to pay in cash." At this same meeting ( i<S2i ) 
it was voted "that Gideon Leavitt, Benjamin Wilson and Josiah 
Hook be a committee to examine school masters and school 
mistresses." and they were sworn accordingly. This seems to 
have been the commencement of our present system of electing 
a school committee. In this same year it was voted to discon- 
.inue the use of gates and bars across the public roads. In the 
year 1825 it was voted "that no creatures shall be allowed to 
go at large on the public highways for the year ensuing." 

By the Federal census of 1820 the population of the town 
had increased to 520. About that time a business firm of Gar- 
diner saw that Newport was a town of increasing prosperity 
and decided to open a branch store here. In those days nearly 
all of the village was centered near the present upper bridge, 
except the mills which were near the present middle bridge. 
The Gardiner firm secured a small building located on the east 
bank of the river and sent the goods up the Kennebec and 
Sebasticook rivers in boats under charge of a young man named 
Zelnilon Sanger, in their employ, who opened the second store 
in town. Two years later the Gardiner firm failed and young 
Sanger continued the Newport store on his own account. The 
descendants of this young storekeeper have achieved notable 
distinction in their chosen profession in the city of Bangor. 
In those days town paupers were "farmed out" and bid ofif to 
those who would maintain them to the best advantage of the 
town. It is recorded that Elisha Philbrook was allowed $35 
for the keeping of Jane Capers for one year ; while Daniel Bick- 
nell bid ofif Edward Moody and agreed to give the town one 
dollar and fifty cents per month. Jacob Pratt bid otT Jacob 
Moody and agreed to give the town one dollar and twenty-eight 
cents per month. Al)ijah B. Wright agreed to take Robert 
Moody and to give him a good ])air of shoes. Samuel York 
bid off James Moody and was paid by the town twenty-four 
cents per week for keeping him. 



OF Newport, Maine 15 

The town having by act of the Maine Legislature of 1823 
secured to itself the exclusive right to all salmon, shad and 
alewives within the limits of the town, it was "Resolved, That 
the privilege of taking fish shall be sold to some person, being 
an inhal)itant of the town for the present season (1823) to the 
highest bidder, under the following"^ rules and regulations: 
Viz : — The contractor shall have the exclusive right to take fish 
from sunrise Monday morning until sunset Thursday night of 
each week during their run, and every fish taken by him or by 
persons in his emi:)loy at any other time shall l)e deemed a vio- 
lation of the law and subject to the penalties hereafter named; 
and no person other than the contractor or his employee shall 
be allowed to take fish at any time within the town, subject to 
a fine of ten cents for each alewive ; fifty cents for each shad, 
and one dollar for each salmon. The contractor shall deliver 
fish as cqrally as the nature of the case will allow among the 
people at the following prices; viz: for fresh alewives, thirty- 
three cents per hundred, or three for a cent ; for shad, ten 
cents each, and for salmon eight cents per pound. And it shall 
be his duty to sell all the fish applied for fresh and to salt the 
remainc'er at his owni discretion ; and the contractor shall give 
security to the town for the amount voted." This resolution 
was presented by Benj. Shaw. John Wilson and James White, 
committee for the town, and was unanimously adopted. Nathan- 
iel Stuart and Nathaniel Martin bid ofif the fishing privilege for 
that year, paying therefor the sum of $21.50. 

It was also the practice in early years to pay for bushing out 
a road across the lake in the winter season, and at the town 
meeting of Sept. 8th, 1823, it was "Voted, to bush out the road 
from Nathaniel Burrill's to the outlet, set in a straight line by 
holes cut in the ice twenty rods apart, and the job to be sold at 
auction to the low^est bidder," and it was sold to Jesse Prescott 
at four shillings. At this same meeting it was "Voted, to fur- 
nish provisions for the Soldiers of the town on Regimental 
Review this year and put it up at auction to the lowest bidder, 
and Nathaniel Stuart bid off a dinner of as much Beef, Mutton 
and Bread as was wanted, together with half a pint of W. I. 



16 



A Brief History 




lica.'<iur Stcd inrr (it VilUuje Wlnirf 



Rrni to a Soldier, with the addition of one g-ood Qieese with 
ilK'ir (linncK, at twenty-three cents for each such Soldier." 

Tl is year (1823) another store was opened on the west side 
of the river hy Joseph Lord, the buildings used for that purpose 
l)einj^ now a part of the Merrill residence, corner of Water and 
North Sts. Licenses for the sale of spirituous liquors were 
{^ranted for the first time in this same year to Zebulon Sanger, 
Joseph Lord and John Billings; previous to this liquors had 
been sold without license or regulation of any kind. 

In 1825 the village had but one street, Ijetter known as the 
south county or stage road ; commencing at the Palmyra town 
line, thence easterly across the river by what is now callecf 
North Street ; thence southerly by what is now called Elm 
Street en the east side of the river. The stage from Skow- 
hegan succeeded in making the round trip to Bangor in two 
days, and its arrival was more of an event than the coming anfl 
going of all tiie trains of a day at the present time. The pres- 
ent dwelling- of Elbridge Ring, the double tenement on North 
Street, and the present residence of A. R. Croxford on Elm 
Street, are the land marks of the village of one hundred years 



OF Newport, Maine 



INDUSTRIES PRIOR To THE YEAR 1891 
In the spring of 1831 Beiijamm Shaw 2nd and Enoch C. 
his hrother. came to Newport and bought the double tenement 
house on North Street. Thus they reconstructed as we see it 
now. and in the west end of which they opened a store for gen- 
eral coimtrv trade. Benjamin Shaw 2nd had resided in Cxeorgia 
for a d(«en years previous to coming to Ne^vi^ort and had been 
interested hi' the production of silk from the worm. Visitmg 
a silk factory in Poughkeepsie, N. Y., about the year 1834. he 
became convinced that the silk industry could be successfully 
carried on in Maine. He accordingly ordered mulberry slips 
and set them out here; two years later the mulberries were 
1-u-oe enough to sustain a colony of worms and eggs of the India 
silk wonn were purch.ased and <luly hatched, producing about 
fifteen hmidred silk worms ; these were fed daily on the tender 
leaves of the mulberry and a small quantity of silk was pro- 
duced the first year. At first the worms were kept in a cham- 
l)er of the house. l)ut later on the store was used and fitted up 
for the silk business, the stock in trade having been moved to 
another building m the south part of the village. Benjamin 
Shaw 'nd was the father of the late Francis M. Shaw, and we 
are indebted to the latter for much of the material that appears 
in this historial sketch of the town. In his write-up on silk 
culture in Newport, Francis M. Shaw relates the following 
mteresting account of the process of silk production : ' As 
soon as the leaves were dry in the morning it was 'Come, boys, 
get your baskets,' which meant two hours in the mulberry patch. 
With signs of an approaching shower not only the boys but 
all the family must pick leaves before the rain struck, as the 
worms cannot eat wet leaves and live. Sometimes a ram storm 
would oblige us to pick wet leaves which must be carefully dried. 
Even the cat had to do her part, as mice would make sad havoc 
among the nearlv mature worms. I have seen hornets come 
in at an open window and sail away with a worm an inch long. 
The lar-er the worms become the more the care; they must be 
chan-ed" often from one table to another, as the health of the 
silk worm depends upon its cleanliness: this work is all done 



18 A Brief History 

by hand pickine and in the most careful manner. They shed 
the skin several times during the two months of worm life, at 
which times they must be taken from the tables where the worms 
are left. During the time of skin shedding they refuse to eat. 
but after a successful undressing they will more than make up 
in apj)etite. At maturity they cease to eat and seek for places 
to build the cocoon. We then arranged shelves immediately 
Ijack of the tables against the walls. The most convenient 
shelves were made with clapboards laid up with thin strips, 
leaving one and one-quarter inch space. The worms would 
soon discover the convenient spaces and go up, commencing 
the work of cocoon immediately. Sometimes two worms would 
insist upon building two cocoons together, which we did not 
allow, if discovered, as double cocoons are not good for reeling, 
for two worms will make cross threads which will not run. 
After spinning is over the shelves are carefully taken down and 
the cocoons placed in baskets. As many as were required for 
the next year's operations were saved out, and the others were 
baked in a hot oven, else in time they would cut out and spoil 
the cocoon for reeling. The time that elapses from the finished 
cocoon to the coming out of the moth is al)out three weeks ; 
therefore the baking must be attended to immediately. After 
the se<-ond year we had about four bushels of cocoons to care 
for. \Mien the moth came out we placed them on paper in a 
darkened room and the eggs were deposited in clusters ; the 
eggs are then kept in a cool room for the following year. The 
methods employed by my mother in the manufacture of silk 
were crude when compared with those of the present day ; 
nevertheless she attained good results. It was a great curiosity 
in a country town and many times I have seen the old Hamp- 
den stove surrounded l)y neighbors, earnestly watching the 
process which mother would explain as she worked : 'You see 
I place as many cocoons in tins kettle of boiling water as I 
want threads ; as soon as the natural gum which the worm 
throws off in spinning dissolves, I stir them around with this 
stick, securing all the ends, and then reel them oft' thus.' Suit- 
ing the action to the word, the bright glossy thread would 
assume the form of a beautiful skein on the old-fashioned reel. 



OF Newport, Maine 10 



which with the spinning wheel, constituted the entire machinery 
used. The dyeing was done according to the demand for colors ; 
most of the silk being kept in the natural unbleached white, with 
some black and occasionally some crimson. But little silk was 
sold and few people who came to see the process went away 
without a souvenir skein. The making of silk at that time was 
not so much for the immediate profit as it was to determine 
whether the worm and the mulberry could be successfully raised 
in Maine. The business was continued, as I remember, for 
about eight years ; each autumn and early winter being the sea- 
son of converting the cocoons into sewing silk of different 
degrees of fineness, quality always the same. The mulberry 
blight of 1843-4 caused an abandonment of the business. Mr. 
and Mrs. Shaw were in Chicago in 1848, and, having a sample 
of the silk with them, Mrs. Shaw placed it on exhil)ition at the 
Mechanics' Fair, then being held in that city, for which exhibit 
she was awarded a silver medal, inscribed 'Awarded to Mrs. 
Benjamin Shaw for the best knitting silk raised from siU-: 
worms.' " 

In 1830 Nathan Mcrriam operated a twelve-pit tannery on 
the v.-esterly bank of the river, just l)elow the present middle 
bridge. Across the river, directly opposite this tannery, William 
Martin operated a grist and saw mill, getting out three hundred 
thousand feet of sawed lumber and grinding three thousand 
bushels of corn and grain, annually. The remains of the old 
wing dam may still be seen at low water in the bed of the river, 
below the middle bridge, near the easterly side of the stream. 
Samuel W'eed and John Wilson, Jr., owned and operated a 
carding mill in the tannery yard, on the westerly side ; while 
Zebulon Sanger had a potash plant further up on the same side 
of the vWev. Hiram Ordway had a brick yard near the present 
Camp Benson Grounds, producing fifty thousand brick annually. 
James Benjamin was the village smith and Justus Kerby the 
v/agon maker. Joseph Lord and Justus Kerby had the only 
stores in town. There was but one riding wagon and that was 
a two-wheeled chaise owned by William Martin, who, doubt- 
less, was envied by all his fellow citizens. The ])opulation of 
the town in 1830 was f>(;,^: the state tax assessed to the town 



2Q A Brief History 

^A^a7$72.03,l3eing the seventh largest in the county, then includ- 
ing what Is now Piscataquis and a large section of Aroostook 
county. In 1840 the population had increased to 1138; the 
valuation was $187,522. and the tax paid the state was $190.52. 
)osei)h South wick and Mark Fisher had constructed and were 
then operating a tannery valued at $5500. with a stock on hand 
of $10,000; Frederick Ray had a saw mill valued at $2000; 
William Martin a grist mill valued at $1000; Kirhy and Chapin 
a store of the value of $800, with $1000 stock in trade; Shaw 
and Mason a store of the value of $300, with $800 stock. 
Thomas F. Dexter was just commencing the manufacture of 
carriages, sleighs and pungs and owned a small shop assessed 
for $125. Tohn Day was the village smith and Jeremiah Pres- 
cott sawed shingles. There were one hundred and sixty-one 
dwelling houses in the town, of which number forty-eight were 
in the village. The number of wagons had increased to five; 
four in the village and one owned by Daniel Ireland at North 
Newport. There were 165 horses and 17 colts, 123 oxen, 283 
cows, ;uid 2yi> swine in the town. 

In the year 1838 Mark Fisher came to Newport from Levant, 
and. in com})any with Joseph Southwick, built what was at that 
time the largest tannery in the state, located on the easterly 
side of the river, just ])elow the present lower bridge, and ex- 
tending along the stream on both sides of the railroad tracks ; 
traces of the old tannery pits may still be seen below the railroad 
eml)ankment, directly in the rear of the abandoned cemetery 
on Elm St. Mr. Fisher resided in Newport for about ten years 
and during that period he perfected and took out patents for 
the welding together of cast iron and cast steel ; something that 
had heretofore been deemed impossible to accomplish. This 
combination proved of great value in the manufacture of anvils 
at a foundrv which Mr. Fisher located on the little island, just 
below the lower bridge. Owing to the long distance from the 
source of supply of the metal, of the market for the product 
being so far away, and with the lack of railroad transportation 
in those days, Air. Fisher moved his then successful industry 
to Trenton, N. J., where he organized the Eagle Anvil and 
Wire Co., which subsequently developed into a very prosperous 



OF Newport, xMainr 21 



business. Luke Gurney continued the foundry business iiere 
for a number of years after the removal of Mr. Fisher, and the 
enterprise was finally abandoned with the burning of the foun- 
dry l)uildings at the time the gang saw mill was destroyed by 
tire in the year i(S6S. This gang saw mill was located on the 
westerly side of the river, just below the lower bridge, where 
the flume to the woolen mill now is ; it was first operated by 
Moore & Redington and Ijy them sold to Shaw & Tracey, to- 
gether with the dams and water privilege. As stated above, 
the saw mill was totally consumed by fire in the year 1868, and 
soon after that Shaw & Tracey sold the water privilege and 
dams to Nathan Merrill, who erected a saw and grist mill at 
the east end of the lower bridge. Mr. Merrill sold out to his 
son, Charles H. Merrill, who continued in the lumber and grist 
mill business for a number of years thereafter. The mill was 
destroyed by fire in the year 1879, the lower bridge catching 
fire from the burning mill and being consumed at the same 
time. Both bridge and mill were promptly rel)uilt and Mr. 
Merrill continued the business until the sale of the entire prop- 
erty, comprising the water privilege, dam, mill, and land on 
both sides of the river, to the newly organized Newport Manu- 
facturing Company in the spring of 1891. The latter company 
then leased the grist and saw mill to various parties from time 
to time until its total destruction by fire in the summer of igoo. 
Another valuable industry to the town at one time, prior to 
the Civil War, was the large steam mill erected in the year 1857 
by Davis & Crosby. This mill was located to the east of Elm 
Street in the village, just northerly of the railroad tracks and 
connected with the same by a siding, and did a considerable 
business in the sawing of hardwood box shook for export to 
foreign countries ; the product l)eing assembled in boxes for 
lemons and oranges, and almost our entire supply of these fruits 
coming in from abroad in those days. This mill was connected 
with the lake by a track on which cars were hauled by horses 
in the transportation of the logs from the water to the mill; 
a car would be run out on the track extending into the water 
until it would sink sufficiently to float the logs upon it ; then, 
when loaded, the loaded car would be hauled to the mill bv the 



'?y. 



A Brief Histoky 




Scene on Main SircH, Xcirpnrt Vill(iy(\ 
Foiiii Yenrs A(/() 



horses. In the time of the Civil War so many of the valuable 
cargoes were lost l)y the capture of the vessels carrying the 
product of this mill, Ijy Confederate privateers, that the owners 
of the mill failed ; the machinery was taken out, and, after stand- 
ing as a monument to its former glory for some twenty years 
after dismantlement, the mill was destroyed by fire. 

(Jn the site of the present woolen mill for many years stood 
a grist mill, at which all kinds of grain and corn were ground 
into tlour and merd. In the olden time farmers raised their 
own wheat and carried it to mill, where it was ground into flour 
for the use of the fan^aly, and many a barrel of excellent flour 
ground from native wheat has been headed up and delivered 
from the old grist mill ; way back ere the railroad was built 
through the town this mill was an active industry. With the 



<()F NEWpmrr, Maike 



n 




Shair House and High Street, 30 Years A(/v 



advent of modem methods of millhig and the establishment of 
great m.ihs hi our western cities, this old-fashioned type of mill- 
ing went out of existence; the machinery went into disuse; 
while the building itself remained a monument of its former 
activity until consumed by the inevitable flames a few years 
before the erection of the woolen mill in the year 1 89 1. 

The old cellar near the railroad tracks between the ware- 
house of Judkins and Gilman Co. and the stable owned by the 
Condensed Milk Co. marks the one-time location of the only 
shoe factory this town has ever had. About the year 1872 
A. H. Walker came to Newport from Belfast, Maine, and. in 
company with Atkinson Hobart of this place, erected a shoe 
factory on this site, operating it under the style of A. H. Walker 
^ Co. The following year \\^alker and Hobart sold to Elisha 
W. Shaw, Daniel Dudley and Dr. Byron Porter, who continued 
to carry on the business under the style of Dudley, Shaw & Co. 
until the loss of the entire property by fire in the year 1S75. 

Beginning with the very earliest industries of the town it has 
ever been the policy of our citizens to encourage and assist 
prospective manufacturing establishments. At a special town 
meeting held March 23rd. 1836. it is recorded in the town 
records as follows: ** Resolved, That we have examined the 



24 



A Brief History 





M^ I »- " 



f:^^w)M 







Mam Sircet, Xeirjvrrt ]'ill(ige, SO Years Ac/a 



petition of Wm. Alartin and others to be incorj^orated under tlie 
name of the Newport Mill Dam & Manufacturing Co. and do 
cheerfully approve of the prayer therein contained. Resolved. 
I — That in consideration of the advantages that must result to 
this town, we cheerfully consent that the property of said cor- 
poration may be exempted from taxation for the term of ten 
years. Resolved, 2 — That in our opinion there is no interest 
either public or private that can be injured by the contemplated 
incorporation." In the year 1846 the Fisher & Southwick tan- 
nery buildings were burned and the town voted to exempt from 
taxation for that year. Same vote as to the Shaw & Tracy mill 
destroyed by tire in the year 1868. 

At the town meeting of 1866 it was voted to exempt from 
taxation for ten years any corporation with a capital of not less 
than forty thousand dollars that might establish itself in this 
town for the purpose of manufacturing. In 1872 it was voted 
to exempt from taxation any manufacturing capital to the ex- 
tent of $10,000 for the term of fiv-e years; $15,000 capital for 
seven years, and $20,000 capital for ten years, that might be 
established in this town. Under this last vote the shoe factory 
built that year was exempted. In the years 1881. 1884 and 1891 
the town voted for exemption of taxes of capital invested in 



OF Newport, Maine 25 

manufacturing enterprises, and since the year 1891 similar 
action has been taken from time to time in relation to spe- 
cific industries already established. In the year 1886 the town 
voted the sum of $1,000 towards the purchase of a hand fire 
engine, hose carriage and hose, and thus was made the com- 
mencement of our efficient fire department of more recent years, 
thereby inspiring confidence in the building up of modern in- 
dustries and substantial residences that came with the awakening 
of Newport's citizens and the inauguration of industrial devel- 
opment in this town in the year 1891. 



2f? 



A Brief HisTonr 



s ^ 




OF Newport, Maine 27 

Newport of the Preisent Day 

The dawn of the awakening of the business men and pro- 
gressive citizens of Newport to the possibiHties and advantages 
of this town as an industrial community started early in the year 
1891, when the Newport Manufacturing Company was organ- 
ized as a corporation with a capital of $50,000, nearly all of 
which sum was contributed by citizens of this town. The com- 
pany purcliased of Chas. H. Merrill the lower dam, with water 
privilege incidental thereto, land on both sides of the river below 
this dam. including the saw mill, store and tenement on Mill 
Street, penstock, flume, and the large tract of land on which 
the old grist mill once stood, and on this lot the woolen mill 
was erected that same year. The upper dam, with the water 
rights of the lake, had been sold to the Kennebec Fibre Com- 
pany in the year 1889. Charles Sawyer was the President of 
the newly organized home company and no time was lost in 
getting- things under way for the commencement of I)uilding 
operations. 

About the same time of the organization of the New^port 
Woolen Company another corporation was formed and organ- 
ized under the style of the Aroostook Condensed Milk Com- 
pany, with Isaac C. Liljby of Burnham as President and Thomas 
P. Boole of Boston as Treasurer, and building operations were 
commenced in the spring of 1891 on the large lot of land be- 
tween Spring and Shaw Streets, next northerly of the Maine 
Central Railroad tracks ; so that on the Fourth of July the work 
had progressed sufficiently to allow of the laying of the corner 
stone with imposing ceremonies. This Fourth of July (1891) 
will long l)e remembered by those present on that day at the 
placing of the corner stone of the milk factory and the break- 
ing of ground for the commencement of work on the present 
woolen mill. The village was decorated in gala I)unting, with 
many flags flying, while an immense arch of evergreen had been 
erected at the intersection of Main and Shaw Streets. This 
arch liore an inscription in large letters announcing the want of 
the milk of four thousand cows for the factory, when completed. 



28 A Bkikp^ History 



Near bv was a life-size representation of a cow, made of cedar 
hoitglis and white daisies. Large bright milk cans hung from 
the archway and were displayed about the village. Headed by 
the Corinna Band a procession was formed in the square in 
front of the Shaw House and marched to the grounds of the 
Newport Manufacturhig Co., \vhere, with appropriate exercises, 
President Charles Sawyer broke ground for the northeast. cor- 
ner of the proposed mill. The procession then counter-marched 
through Mill and Main Streets and down Shaw Street to the 
lot of tliC C(.ndenscd Milk Company, where the easterly wall 
of the new factor)- had already been laid and everything was 
in readiness for the placing of the corner stone at the northeast 
angle of the wall. This stone was laid in position w'ith im- 
pressive ceremonies, consisting of prayer, depositing of suitable 
relics in a tin box by Treasurer Thos. P. Boole ; after which 
the crowd cheered, cannon boomed and the band rendered more 
music. The procession then marched to Meridian Hall, where 
all who could, gained admission and listened to speeches by 
Congressman Seth L. Milliken, Hon. William T. Haines (then 
State Senator), Isaac C. Libby, Esq., Rev. David Boyd, and 
Thos. P. Boole. The meeting was closed with a song entitled 
"Onward, Newport People," composed by Miss Josie Rand 
and rendered under her direction by a chorus of thirteen voices. 
The hall had been profusely decorated for the occasion with 
flags, streamers, evergreen and flowering plants. Included in 
the procession were forty-four young ladies, appropriately 
dressed, representing the (then) states of the Union, headed 
by a young lady representing the Goddess of Liberty and carry- 
ing a large American flag ; scholars of the public schools in red, 
white and blue colors ; officers of the two newly organized cor- 
porations ; invited guests ; citizens ; and the brass six-pounder 
fleld-piece, loaned by the Camp Benson Association. A like 
enthusiasm had never before been manifested in our town; the 
large posters advertising this celebration bore in bold-faced type 
the following headlines : "INDEPENDENCE DAY: NEW- 
PORT : Come and Help Us Paint the Town Red : The Prince 
is Come, and Miss Newport, the SLEEPING BEAUTY, is 
to be Awakened by the Kiss of Business : In honor of which 
event the citizens will hold a GRAND JOLLIFICATION." 



OF Newport, Maine 



29 




^ 



Xewpcrt was awaker.ed and has remained awahe ever since. 

The woolen mill was completed about Christmas time of that 
same year and was formally dedicated with a grand ball in the 
evening ;- special trains being run to and from the same, bring- 
ing in a very large number of visitors. For awhile the mill was 
operated by a corporation organized under the style of "East 
Pond Manufacturing Company," with local officers. In the 
summer of 1896 the entire plant w^as sold to Gordon Dobson 
and John W. Manson of Pittsfield, Henry C. Fuller of Hart- 
land and Ellis Jones of Hanover. Conn., and these gentlemen 
associated themselves into a corporation styled "Newport Wool- 
en Company," commencnig the operation of the factory in the 
month of October, 1906, with Mr. Jones — who had for many 



;w 



A Brief History 



years been actively engaged in the manufacture of woolen cloth 
— as Superintendent. The following spring a large addition 
was built on to the factory and from time to time since then 
other imj)rovements and additions have been made ; particularly 
the concrete dam across the river just below the lower bridge, 
built in the year igio at an expense of over twenty-five thou- 
sand dollars. The mill has seven sets of cards and fifty-three 
looms and has been successfully operated by the present com- 
pany for the past seventeen years, greatly to the advantage and 
pros])erity of our town. Besides the mill and other property 
purchased by the company in 1896, several fine residences have 
been erected for the convenience of employes of the corpora- 
tion, while Mr. Jones has built for the use of himself and his 
son — the present Superintendent — one of the most modern and 
desirable residences in our village. 




The factory of the Aroostook Condensed Milk Company was 
for a while conducted by that corporation. In 1894 it was 
reorganized as the Maine Condensed Milk Co. and another 
factory was ])uilt at W'hitefield. N. H. Both plants were sold 
to the Borden's Condensed Milk Co., Jan. 21st, 1902; since 
when the business has been continuously carried on by the last 
named corporation, and much of the prosperity of our neigh- 
boring farmers, and the increased value of their farms, has been 
brought about through the operation of this local factory. The 



OF Newport, Maine 



ai 



present Superintendent is F. M. Sherrard, a gentleman of ex- 
tended experience in the business both here and at Whitefield. 




??2 



A Bhikf Hisiorn' 




In the year 1892, through the efforts of local citizens. Free- 
man B. and Alexander Cooper came to Newport from th« town 
of Searsmont, and erected the large veneer mill on the shore 
of the lower cove of Lake Sebasticook, operating the same ever 
iiince under the style of Cooper Bros., and employing from fifty 



OK Nl-nVPoK'T. MaINK 



33 



to sixty men in season. A few years after the building of the 
veneer niiU the Coo])er Tiros, erected fine residences for tlieni- 
selves near their mih. In the year 19C6, in company with P. L. 
Oakcs, tl.ey bniU t'e phmt known as the Ne\v])crt Box & 
Novelty Co.. there! y tn^plcying from fifteen to twenty more 
men in a fire-proof bnildhig, 40 by 60 feet, equipped with the 
very late.st i^p-to-date maclinery for the manufacture of wooden 
novelties. Alexander Cocper died in th.e srn.mer of 191 3, and 
\ery recently a corporation has been organized under the style 
of Cooper Bros. Co., with Freeman B. Cooper as President, 
Percy L. (Jakes as Trcasrrer, and Mrs. Arline Cooper as Sec- 
retary, for the purpose of carrying on the entire business for- 
merly dene by Cooper Bros, and Newport Box & Novelty Co. 
The following year (1813) Alcssrs. Davis & Baxter of the 
Poitland Packing Co., located a branch at Newport a'.:d erected 
the corn packing factory known as Cannery No. 1 1 . 




Fdctori/ of till' Portloiid Parhnnj (_'<>. 



Wallace E. Racklifife was appointed Superintendent of this 
branch, a position he has ably filled ever since ; the factory build- 
ing was enlarged in the year i8y8, and again in 191 1, with out- 
buildings and sheds convenient for the business of the com- 
pany, and a large amount of corn is put up in season ; many 



34 A Brief Histohy 



carloads of the product being- annually shipped to points out- 
side tiie state. During- the canning season many people of all 
ages and both sexes are given employment at this factory, and 
the industry has i)roved itself to l)e remunerative to the farmers 
as well. 

In the year \<jc2 j. 11. Weymouth came to Newport from 
IJangor and established the wool pullery industry, known as 
the Weymouth Wool Co. The following year the plant — then 
in successful operation and employing a large force of work- 
men — was sold to the Swift Co. of l!oston and since then has 
been conducted as a branch of the Consolidated Rendering Co. 
of Boston, Mr. Weymouth remaining as manager of this plant 
niUil his death in the summer of 1912, since when the manage- 
ment has Ijeen under the direction of his son, Carl R. Wey- 
mouth. In 1904 a large scouring mill was added, with im- 
proved machinery and equipment throughout, and in the vear 
M)i() an extensive addition was ])uilt on to the pullery I)uilding-. 
W ith convenient railroad tracks and facilities for handling the 
many carloads of western sheep pelts that are received annually, 
and for the shipment of the products of the pullery and scour- 
ing factories, the company aiford employment to manv men 
through the autumn and winter months, and well into the spring-, 
and the business is a profitable one for our town. 

The Newport Light & Power Co. was organized as a corpo- 
ration in the year 1902 and took over the property at Newport 
and Detroit that had been acquired by the Smith & Sturtevant 
Co. the previous year, Mr. Chas. E. Smith remaining as Treas- 
urer and Manager of the company. The business of the com- 
pany has steadily increased from year to year, with the devel- 
opment of our village, and recently a 100 K. W. power dynamo 
was installed at the plant of the company in Detroit. At the 
l)resent time, in addition to the large number of electric lights 
furnished residences, stores, offices and factories, the company 
maintain eighty lights for the purpose of lighting our village 
streets, and no village of its size has better lighted streets than 
our own. 



OF Newport, Maine 35 




]\'hirc TIic Kiiif/shiir)/ MDcrasiiis (irr Made 



Eirmciis W. Kingsl)ury. formerly of liradford, Maine, l)Ut 
a resident of Newport Village since 1897. commenced the man- 
ufacture of Indian moccasins in the year 1902. Starting in a 
modest way. the husiness has steadily increased and about five 
years ago a tannery was built for use in connection with the 
increased demands of the trade. A corporation to carry on the 
moccasin business was organized in 1905, and the present offi- 
cers are Emmons \Y. Kingsbury, President; John E. Kings- 
l)ury, Treasurer; Edward J. Kingsbury, Secretary. The output 
of this factory is recognized as a standard of merit, the goods 
being all hand made. 

All these varied industries have brought prosperity to the 
entire town; the population increasing from 1188 by the census 
of 1.890, to 1747 by that of 1910, while in the same period the 
valuation increased from $404,376 to $854,806. For the year 
1914 the town assessors show the valuation to be $881,150, with 
500 polls and 462 scholars of school age. Our merchants have 
benefited by the increase of trade that this prosperity has 
brought, and much of this benefit is derived from the patronage 
of citizens of adjoining towns who are quick to realize that 
Newport's business men are enterprising and carry up-to-date 
stocks of goods. A local Board of Trade is maintained and the 
officers are keenly alive to whatever is needed to add to the 
progress of the town. The President of this organization is 
Judson E. Cakes, with Charles M. Barbour Secretary. 



36 A Brief History 

The heautiful Lake Sebasticook has a reputation far and wide 
for its excellent white i)erch fishing, while cottages and sumnier 
h( mes fringe its shores, aft'ording healthful recreation for our 




''The Elm-s'' on drove Stir ef 



citizens and visitors alike. Many of the latter come here every 
season and enjoy their vacations in cottages, summer hotels, 
and as guests of our citizens, and the number of those who 
aniuially \ isit our town is increasing from year to year. 



New^port Village 

Trior to the opening of the Penobscot & Kennebec Railroad 
(now the Maine Central) in 1855 this village was a great stage 
center between Skowhegan and Bangor, and, until the opening 
of the Dexter & Newj^ort Railroad in 1869, stages were rvin 
between Newi)ort and Moosehead Lake, with a line between 
Newport and Dexter. At times there was lively competition be- 
tween the owners of competing lines and passengers often bene- 
fited accordingly. Large stables were maintained here and the 
local hotels did a good business. Prominent among the latter 
was the Newport House, conducted by Russ Pratt and situated 
where the jiresent Main Street l)lock of stores now stands, with 
livery extending back to the lot now owned by the Odd Fellows. 
In the year i860 Benjamin Shaw commenced to build the well- 
known Shaw House, finishing it two years later, and for more 
than half a century this popular hostelry has served the public 



OF Newport, Maine 



87 



under a succession of varied ownerships and managements. 
The SI. aw House is now owned and ably managed by tlic 
Worster Bros. 




Scene on Main Street^ Neirport ViUac/e, 
(it the Present Time 



in ib.e mor.th of October, 1862, the Newport House was 
totally destroyed by fire, together with the extensive liveries 
and sheds connected with it. Samuel Pratt, who owned the 
land en which the hotel stood, then sold it in lots fronting on 
Main St. to various parties, and these parties united in the erec- 
tion of tie present Main St. Block in the year 1866. The block- 
as we see it today was remodeled in 19 10, when the tall pitcli 
roof was changed to a flat one of fireproof construction. 

The first church erected in the village was made possiljle by 
the subscriptions of money from those representing difi^erent 
denominations ; this was the beginning of the High Street Union 
Meeting House Society. The work on the church edifice was 
begun and finished in the year 1837, the dedicatory services 
being jiaiticipated in by clergymen of the several denominations 
represented by the pew owners, and the church was for a num- 



38 



A Brief History 



her of years thereafter occupied by the Methodist, Baptist. Con- 
^!c<,^alionalisl and Universalist Societies; each of these denom- 
iiiatiiiiis being represented in the ])ulpit one Sabbath in each 
nionih. In the year 1S59 the Methodists built for themselves 
a house of worshij) on Shaw Street, corner of Middle; this 
edihce was used by that society until its sale in the spring of 
KjOi to the newly organized K. of P. Lodge here, but before 
tile order could occupy it for lodge purposes, fire, catching from 
sparks blown by the high wind of May 17th, 1901. from the 
burning railroad freight house, burned it to the ground. 





:t 






IP 




^J 


^K< m' ^wi* 




I \ ^^^^^^1 


1 


mi 


&i ^^l^^^l 


1 





M. E. (Jl)irrrh, Neirpoyt yiUayc 



-OF Newport, Maine 



39 



The present fine church edifice of the Methodist Episcopal 
Society, located at the corner of Main and Spring Streets in 
our village, was completed and dedicated in the sj^riijig of 1902; 
including the land on which the church stands, lhe,.total cost 
was about ten thousand dollars. Rev. H. W. Norton is the 
pastor of this society. The parsonage belonging to the society 
is located on High Street and was originally built, and, for a 
number of years thereafter, used as an Academy. The Ladies' 
Aid Society is a valual)le adjunct to the cause of the Church. 




Hiqh Street Union Church, Neirport Village 



The first church edifice in town, erected in the year 1837, 
and now owned by the High Street Union Meeting House So- 
ciety, was entirely remodeled, and rebuilt in the year 1902 at 
an expense of about six thousand five hundred dollars, making 
it one of the most modern and attractive houses of worship to 
be found anywhere. At the rear, and connected with the ves- 
try, are convenient accommodations for the U. B.^B. Society, 
as the ladies' auxiliary to this church is called. Rev. R. L. 
Kimball is the pastor of this Society at the present time, and 
the friends of the Church are now planning on the building of 
a suitable parsonage in the near future. 



40 



A Brtep History 




This building is the modernized High School Building ot 
this town. Origina]l\- built in the year 1874 as District No. 
2 school house, it was used for district schools, graded schools 
and High School, until the growth of our village made it im- 
perative to provide more room for the scholars. In the year 
191 o the Iniilding was entirely remodeled and equipped with 
modern conveniences in the work of education, the upper story 
being set apart for the u?^e of the High School, while the lower 
story is used for Grammar grades. This year there are thirty- 
six scholars attending the High School and sixty-six attending 
the Grammar grades. Between four and five thousand dollars 
were expended by the committee in charge of the work of re- 
modeling and changing over this building as we now see it. 



OF Newport, Maine 



41 




Graded S^-hool House, JVevjyirt VWeii/e 



No town of its size can boast of finer school advantages than 
those possessed by Newport at the present time. In the year 
lyio a large lot of land, fronting on Shaw Street for a distance 
of some three hundred and twenty feet, was purchased by the 
town and a new school building erected for the use of the Inter- 
mediate and Primary grades ; this lot of land adjoins the old 
school house lot, and the whole is located near to the center of 
our village, an ideal location. The entire cost to the town of 
this new building, including land, grading, wallvs, etc., was 
about fifteen thousand dollars. The number of scholars in the 
Primary grades is fifty-six; in the Intermediate grades eighty- 
five, as per the last report of the Superintendent ; giving a total 
of two hundred and forty-three scholars attending our village 
schools. 

About three miles from the village, on the road to Corinna, 
the Gilman District (so-called) school house is located, and here 
nineteen scholars are enrolled. 



42 A Brief History 



Fire Department 



.\ltIuHioIi maintained by tlie entire town, the operation of tlu- 
firc (lc[)arlnKnt is mostly conlined, by necessity, to Newport 
\'illa^e. Witli a band tnl) and hose carriage purchased in 1886 
as a commencenKnt. the department has grown until in the 
year 19:4 it was regularly organized by vote of the town, with 
a code of ])v-laws. Chief Engineer and two assistants, whose 
names may l)e found in the list of town cfhcers in the front of 
this book. In ujCAj the town ])urchased a six-cylinder, 75 H. P. 
Howe Gasoline Engine for better protection of property against 
hre. and the wisdom of this action has 1)een manifested a ntim- 
ber t.f times since this addition to the tire-fighting equipment 
of tl'.e town, ])otb in New])ort and Corinna villages. This year 
a hand chemical tank has been added, and ample ec[uipment is- 
maintained at all times, with an enrolled membership of thirty- 
eight men in the departiuent, thoroughly drilled and efhcient in; 
the tighting of tire. The members are now providing them- 
selves with uniforms, and, when so ecfuipped, it will be the 
largest uniformed com])any of call men of any town in the 
State of Maine. 



Secret Orders 



Meridian S})len(lor Lodge, No. 49, F. & A. M., bears the 
distinction of being the oldest secret society in town ; having 
1 ten instituted on July 18th, 1826 ,- chartered and reg- 
ularly constituted on July 4th. 1828, with imposing ceremonies; 
the charter mem])ership was eight ; at the present time the 
Lodge has a membership of one hundred and fifty-six. with 
convenient accommodations, and much interest is shown in the 
work of the order. The regular meetings are held on the first 
Thursday of each month. 

Stevens Royal Arch Chapter, No. 28, F. & A. M., was insti- 
tuted on July 1st, 1868, under a charter issued from the Grand 
Royal Arch Chapter of Maine, with a membership of fourteen ; 
previous to this time the Chapter had been holding meetings 



OF Newport, Maine 4^ 

under dispension, commencing with the month of October, 1867. 
The institution of this society was quite an event in the history 
of the town ; there l)eini;- a parade of Meri(han Splendor and 
several other visiting lodges, with bands from St. Albans and 
Carmel ; the corner stone of Meridian Hall building (now Odd 
Fellows" Hall) was laid with impressive Masonic ceremonies, 
followed by the formal constituting of the Chapter in the High 
Street church. The present membershi]) of this society is nine- 
ty-two and regular meetings are held on the second Tuesday 
of each month. 

Old Hickory Lodge, No. 105. I. O. O. F., was instituted on 
Dec. /th, 1883, with six charter members. Meetings were held 
in the same lodge room with the Masonic societies, Meridian 
Hall, and the property was purchased by Old Hickory Lodge, 
Dec. yth, 1896; since when the Lodge has exj^ended large sums 
of money in the improvement of the premises, so that today 
the order is justly proud of possessing as comfortaljle and con- 
venient accommodations as may be found in a town of this size 
anywhere ; recent changes and improvements have made an 
ideal public hall in the first story of the building, with all mod- 
ern conveniences. The present membership of this lodge is 
about two hundred. Meetings are held every Wednesday eve- 
ning. 

\'ictoria Rebekah Lodge, No. 74, L O. O. F., was instituted 
March 18, 1896, with ninety members; the present membership 
is one hundred and forty-four, and the Rebekah Lodge has 
proved itself to be a very valuable aid in the work of Odd 
Fellowship. Meetings are held on the second and fourth Fri- 
day evenings of each month. 

Nokomis Chapter, No. 42, O. E. S., was organized Jan. 25th, 
1897, and formally instituted September 9th, 1897, with thirty 
charter members ; the present membership of this Chapter is 
one hundred and forty-three, and the society is to the Masonic 
order what the Rebekah Lodge is to Odd Fellowship. Meet- 
ings are held the first and third Monday evenings of each month 
in the Masonic Hall. 

Sebasticook Grange, No. 306, P. of H., was instituted Dec. 
26th, 1889, with seventeen original charter members. Tliis 



44 



A Bkief History 



(irange has been prosperous from its first organization, and 
within a few years has purchased \akial)le real estate on Main 
Street in our village, fitting up a most convenient hall, kitchen 
and dining- room, and these are in steady demand for use by 
other societies for the jnirpose of serving jjublic dinners and 
holding fairs, being on the ground fioor and centrally located. 
T\g jiresent meml)ershij) of this Grange is a little over one 
l.L ndred. Meetings are held Thursday evenings. 




OF Newport, Maine 45 

Victory Lodge. No. 28, K. of P., was instituted April 25th, 
1901, with a memhcrsliip of fifty; the ])resent memhershi]) is 
one hundred and three. This order ])nrchased the old Meth- 
odist church Iniilding. soon after organization, and, this huilding 
burning within a few days tliereafter, the lodge was without a 
suitable home until the summer of 1908, when it occupied con- 
venient rooms in the newly erected brick l^lock of tlie Waterville 
Trust Company (now owned by the Kenduskeag Trust Com- 
pany). The lodge has the use of the entire third story of tins 
modern l)lock and holds meetings every Friday evening. 

Trium])h Temple, No. 5. Pythian Sisters, the ladies auxiliarv 
to the K. of P. order, was organized IMarch 24th, 1910, witli 
thirty-five charter memljers ; the present memljership is sixty- 
two and regular meetings are held every W'ednesday evening. 



Patriotic Associations 



Prior to the year 1884 the veterans of the ci\'il war were ol)- 
liged to go to Corinna in order to become members of a Post of 
the G. A. R. In this year H. G. Libby Post, No. 118, was in- 
stituted in Newport Village with some twenty charter members. 
The membership doubled within a few years, but by reason of 
lapse of time and no new recruits for this organization, the mem- 
bership at the present time has dropped to about a dozen vet- 
erans. This Post was named after Hollis G. Libby, the first 
Newport volunteer to lay down his life in the great war of the 
rebellion. And in this connection it is but fit to add that no 
town in the State of Maine was more loyal to the Union cause 
than Newport. More men went to tiie front from here than 
was called for on the quota against the town. One hundred and 
forty-nine men enlisted, twenty-eight of whom re-enlisted ; mak- 
ing a total of one hundred and seventy-seven men from New- 
port, or one in every eight of the population of the town at that 
time. Sixty-two of these volunteers were either killed in action, 
died in prison or of wounds, or were discharged by disability 
before the completion of their terms of service, a very large 
percentage of casualties. 



46 A Brief History 

As in the furnishing of men for the front, so Hkewise did the 
town contribute money and suppHes in aid of its volunteers and 
their famihes. During the four years of the war the town ex- 
pended for these purjioses the sum of twenty-seven thousand 
one hunch-ed and seven dollars and eighty cents ($27,107.80), 
the hulk of this large sum being jiaid in bounties to those who 
enlisted. The \alue of hospital stores, clothing, etc.. contrib- 
uted by citizens of the town was estimated at $1,750.00. In ad- 
dition to these large sums, the town, with a valuation of less 
than $300,000. (in i860. $250,534), paid a state tax of $3,761.- 
50 in tlie year 1865. and that same year raised the sum of $17,- 
000 for town charges, the bulk of which was to pay outstanding 
town orders for money hired on account of the expenses of the 
war. 

in the Spanish war of 1898, and the Philippine insurrection 
immediately following, Newport furnished many volunteers ; 
some of whom gave their lives in the following of the flag. 

The Woman's Relief Corps was instituted Dec. 31st, 1894, 
with eighteen members ; the present membership is about twen- 
ty-five. 

J. W. Webster Camp, No. 61, Sons of Veterans, was organ- 
ized in 1902 and is a valuable adjunct to the G. A. R. 

Five years ago a fund was started by the ladies of the Relief 
Corps for the purpose of erecting a suitable monument in honor 
of the brave sons of Newport who sacrificed their lives in de- 
fense of the Union. In 191 2 these .patriotic ladies l)ccame in- 
corporated under the ,nan)e pi '.'Newport Monuuient Associa- 
tion" and a sul)stantial begjm^ing ^a^ been mad'q ,towar,ds rais- 
ing the necessary amount for a , Soldiers' Monument.. It is 
hoped that the time is not far d,i?tan|; when the efforts of thesie 
ladies will be fully realized and tjh^ ^owti. w^l have a , fitting 
monument to commemorate the deeds ^i-yjSilpr and ^crificfB 
made by the volunteers from this town in the, -great cpiiflict qf 
the civil war. ., ,,^ -, „ ,, , ., 

It would not be fitting to conclude the list of .ofganizatiorfs 
in Newport Village without making mention of,:the rBaud, 
Ralph H. Dyer, leader. Usually the Band comes firs^.fjin^ <3eF-»- 
tainly our Band is among the first in merit of any similar orh- 



■<)F Newport, Maine 



47 



ganization to be found in any town of our State. The mem- 
bers take great interest in the rehearsals and the results of their 
labors are always in evidence whenever we are favored with 
Land concerts, and all of our citizens take a just pride in the 
excellency and worth of this Band whenever and wherever it 
appears in public. 

Newport Village has broad streets, with many shade trees of 
Kim and Maple ; concrete sidewalks ; an extensive system of 
sewers; water works, furnishing water from a s])ring-fed lake 
some two miles from the village ; well lighted streets ; night 
watchman ; municipal court ; bank ; convenient railroad facili- 
ties ; a well patronized telephone exchange with both day and 
night service ; many stores, offices and shops. All these, with 
the churches, schools, societies and industries already mentioned, 
together with beautiful Lake Sebasticook ; the river flowing 
through the center of the village ; and the fine farms all around 
us ; combine to make Newport Village an ideal location for 
those seeking business opportunities, as well as for those seek- 
ing health and recreation. Lake Sebasticook is well known for 
its abundance of fresh water fish of every variety, especially 
white perch, and is one of the greatest attractions of our town. 




A'/'.sf/c Smic on ,'<ehasticook River, Newport^ Main^e ■_ _ 



48 



A Bhikf HrsTORV 



East Newport 




This section of the town was tirst settled in 1810 by Isaac 
Lawrence on the old Lawrence road, so called, near Lake Se- 
basticook. Here may be seen the remains of old cellars and 
orch.ards, showing wdiere Isaac Lawrence and his three sons, 
John, James and Eleazer, once lived. 

( )ne of the most interesting places in the eastern part of the 
town is the old "Spaulding House," located at the junction of 
the Bangor and Stetson roads, at what was formerly known as 
Marsh's Corner. This house was built about i<S45. ^^^^ ^^^ 
many years was a half-way place between Waterville and Ban- 
gor for the stage and teams to stop at. The big door-yard used 
to be filled with wagons at noon-time. 

After the railroad was built it was less profitable and has not 
been used as a tavern since about the year 1874. The last land- 
lord was Noah ALarsh, whose daughters are still residents of 
this town. The bar of the old house is still in existence, and no 
doubt liquor fiowed freely there at one time. In the attic is a 



'OF Newpo"rt, Maine 



11^ 



dance hall with a spring floor, and many gay times were en- 
joved there in the old days. The ])lace is now owned and occu- 
'pied by the family of the late Rev. David Boyd, 




The Old SpinildiiK/ Tarern <it Ead Nrirpoif Foiio- fJorncis 




:jifc,<«!> A - Uj--^»- 



_ii*ao.ie3^«?SW«!«'-'S£- 



"■HJJL^. i^w«:^'^-u>v^^Jf" TKle- 



A Methodist church society provides for religious services in 
Union Hall every Sunday afternoon ; Rev. H. W. Norton of 



5a 



A Brief History 



Newport Village conducting the service. Eastville Grange, 
Xo. 426, P. of H.. was organized Feb. 9th, 1904, with 27 char- 
ter members ; the membership is now 107 ; meetings are held in 
Union Hall Saturday evenings. 

Quite an amount of Inisiness is done at East Newport and a 
.^ta"-e runs twice a day to and from the towns of Plymouth and 
Dixmont. 

'JMie graded schools at East Newport have an attendance of 
forty scholars: during the year 1913 an addition was built onto- 
the school house so it now has two recitation rooms ; this was- 
done at an expense of $1333.50 to the town. 




T'o/ro/v/.v Tjiiifh'iif/, rirdT Ed-'t .Yr;/-pr<7f 



A picturesque scene at the southerly extremity of Lake Sebas- 
ticook, near East Newport. No more desirable spot on the 
shore of this lake can be found than Colcord's Landing;. 



OF Newport, Maine 51 



A Sketch of North New^port 



The first permanently settled part of the town, comprising an 
area of nearly 6000 acres, nearly all of which is excellent farm- 
ing land, bonnded on the north by Corinna, on the east by Stet- 
son, on the south by the East Inlet, or Stetson Stream, and on 
the west by the North Inlet ; many of the present inhabitants of 
this part of the town are directly descended from the early 
pioneer settlers — of rugged, sterling character, industrious and 
persevering ; these traits have been handed down to the present 
generation. The dairying industry is carried on to a large ex- 
tent here and much of the milk is sent to the Condensed Milk 
factory in Newport Village. 

In 1814, when the town was incorporated, the inhaljitants of 
this section numljered 95 ; in 1850 the number was about 350, 
with three school houses accommodating 85 scholars, and 
eighteen miles of roads (about two-fifths of the entire mileage 
in the town). 

CHURCH, SCHOOLS AND GRANGE 
As early as June 22nd, 181 7, a Baptist church was organized 
here, the first services being held in the school house in the east 
district, which was located a few rods east of the present resi- 
dence of Frank Ireland, facing the road ; the first pastor be- 
ing Rev. Mr. Robinson. Later on came Rev. Robert Coburn, 
a Calvinist Baptist; and his family, from Bloomfield in 1824; 
after that services were held in the old school house near Co- 
burn's Corner. About 1840 a church of the Christian denom- 
ination was organized and services held in the east district 
school house, while the Rev. Mr. Coburn continued to hold ser- 
vices in the Coburn Corner school building. In those days the 
families were large and nearly all attended church ; the school 
houses became so crowded at times that planks had to be 
placed across the seats and chairs brought in to provide seats 
for those who attended religious worship. 

In the winter of 1856 the North Newport people began to 



52 



A Brief Htstoijy 



plan to brild a church \a.rge enorgh to accommodate both so- 
cieties. .'' s much of the primeval forest was still standing. 
timl)er was plenty and the farmers had the lumber sawed and 
hauled to the spot by the following spring. The contract for 
building was let to Abiah Steward (son of Thomas Steward, 
v.'h.o moved here with his family from Bloomfield in 1812). 
The site was ])urchased of Benjamin ^Steward, chosen because 
it was midway between the two school houses, as now located. 
;it Coburn's Corner, and the east, or Hul)l)ard district. The 
Baptists occupied th.e west side of the new church, while those 
of the Ch.ristian jiersrasion occu])ied the east side, bein.g the 
sides r.ext to the school houses where they had previouslv wor- 
shiped, respectively. The first j'astor of the Christian denom- 
ination was Rev. Aloses F. Davis and he ]:)resided over the des- 
tinies of that church for twentv-nine vears. 




C/mrrh (if .Vo/'/// X( ir^ioit 

October 23rd, 1907, the Church observed its senii-ccnicnni.d 
anniversary, after having been thoroughly repaired, shingled, 
painted and a steel ceiling added. Rev. Henry A. Arnold of 
Corinna is the present pastor. ha\ing served for ten years past, 



OF NE\vp(nrr, Ma ink -""o 

and rnder his leadership the interest and attendance is well ke])t 
rp. The ladies have an organization called the Willing Work- 
ers, and tlis society is of material assistance to the church. 

The first school horse was l)inlt al)Out the year 1822 on the 
North County road, near the watering place just below the Hill- 
iker faim of today. The entire territory of North Newport was 
then in one district (No. 4) and Miss Amanda Barker of Ex- 
eter taught the school, with fifty-two i)upils. In i(S30 that part 
of North Newport now known as Rutland was set off as Dis- 
trict No. 5 ; while the school house in District No. 6 was moved 
to a site cast of the residence of Frank Ireland and designated 
as No. 4. A new scl.ool house was soon after built on Lot 7, 
Range 5, and known as the Coburn Corner, or District No. 6 
sc'fool; this school house stood on the opposite side of the road 
from where the present Coburn Corner school house is located. 
There are at the present time two school houses in No. New- 
port ; or.e in the east, or Hubbard district, near the residence of 
J. E. Patten, with 14 pupils, and one in the Coburn Corner dis- 
trict with 22 pi pils ; the former school house was erected over 
sixty years ago ; the latter one about forty years ago. 

North Newport Grange, No. 195, P. of H.. was organized in 
the vear 1875, with Horace Quimby, Master; Philander Whit- 
ing, Secy., and Stephen Steward, Treas. There were twenty- 
seven charter members, only two of whom are now living and 
retain their membership. At that time there were no Granges 
in this or the adjoining towns, and consequently the member- 
ship was large, more so than at the present time ; for since then 
Granges have been instituted at Newport Village, East Newport, 
Corinna and Stetson. On the enrollment book of North New- 
port Grange there have been 226 members since its organiza- 
tion ; of this number 48 have died and a very large number have 
withdrawn to join new Granges instituted in the districts in 
which they resided. The membership for the past few years 
has averaged about sixty, and meetings are held on Tuesday 
evenings. The present master is Dinsmore S. Hiliiker, who 
has recently purchased one of the oldest residences in this sec- 
tion of the town and completely remodeled the buildings, add- 



54 



A Brief History 



ing^modenTconveniences and making it one of the very finest 
of tlie large numl)er of fine farms in our town. 




'A Modn-ii Farm House'' Homf of D. S. IliUihr 
Master of Xoiih Xeirport (i range, P. (f H. 



During- the past ten years material development in the sum- 
mer resort business has been made on the northeasterly shore 
of Lake Sebasticook, for here may be caught the finest perch 
to be found anywhere. On the shore of what is now known as 
Turner's Cove Nathaniel Burrill settled in the year 1807, and 
in that same year (possibly the year following) he erected the 
first frame house in Newport. This place is now owned by Hu- 
bert E. Turner, who has added materially to the house and made 
it of sufficient size to accommodate some forty summer guests 
in each year, together with cottages scattered along the shore 
where many more are cosily lodged. In the remodeling of the 
old house the quaint old stairway and the old fashioned fire 
place were preserved by Mr. Turner. 



OF Newport, Maine 



55 




Ti(r)ier''s, Showing Historic WiUoics on tlir right 



The large willow trees to be seen on the right sprung from 
a goad stick used by Nathaniel Bur rill on his journey hither 
from Bloomfield in 1807 ; Mr. Burrill stuck the goad stick into 
the fertile soil on the shore of the cove and from it grew the 
mammoth trees of today. 

One riding through this section of the town cannot but no- 
tice the air of thrift, as manifested by the neat and attractive 
farm houses, many of them with modern conveniences ; of the 
well tilled farms, as evidenced by the green fields and growing 
crops ; and the fine herds of Holstein cattle. 



Centennial Committee 



Sec, C. M. Barbour 



General 



\V. H. Mitchell 
C. E. Smith 
E. R. Dow 



Finance 

P. L. Oakcs 
J. O. Gilman 
O. R. Emerson 



Historical 

W. H. Mitchell 
A. L. Oakes 
Miss Flora Boyd 
Miss Eva Hilton 
Mrs. W. D. Crowell 
E . W. Smit h 

Invitations 

E. R. Leach 
S. P. Judkins 
Mrs. S. P. Judkins 
Mrs. Annie Dexter 
Mrs. C. E. Smith 
R. A. Deering 



Parade 

\V. M. Stuart 

C. E. Jones 

Mrs. F. E. Hallowell 

Mrs. E. W. Sherbourne 

Mrs. W. H. Mitchell 

Mrs. H. L. Miles 

Miss Effie Moore 

I'\ M. Deering 

George J. Payne 

W. E. Wilson 

W. D. Crowell 

\y. H. Blanchard 

!•". R. Coburn 

Florence Littlefield 

Mr. D. S. Hilliker 

Mrs. D. S. HiUiker 

Mrs. Ida Morrill 

Mrs. Elizabeth Slosberg 

Mrs. S. E. Ramsdell 

Mrs. Hattie Chase 

W. C. McCue 

Robert C. Chadbourne 

Aids: 
H. J. Carson 
M. A. Seaney 
Dr. J. J. McVety 
Dr. W. H. Corey 
Lyndon Oakes 



Souvenirs and Badges 



H. M. Wardwell 
Mrs. W. E. Rackliffe 
Mrs. E. R. Dow 



Treas., W. E. Rackliffe 

Reception 

J. E. Oakes 

Mrs. J. E. Oakes 

George Plummer 

Mr. & Mrs. P. E. Carey 

Mr. & Mrs. F. R. Coburn 

Mr. & Mrs. Parker Littlefield 

Mr. & Mrs. W. E. Rackliffe 

Mr. & Mrs. Danvers Cram 



Sunday Services 



Rev. Mr. Norton 
Rev. Mr. Kimball 
Mrs. F. E. Adams 



Entertainment and Sports 

V. W. Halliday 
F. B. Burns 

B. G. Croxford 

C. R. Weymouth 
A. C. Bradbury 
Mrs. A. G. Shorey 
Mrs. P. L. Oakes 
F. R. Wiggin 



Decorations 

L. B. Soper 
H. H. Rich 
Blake McKenney 
A. G. Hanson 
G. M. Barrows 
F. H. Fernald 
F. P. Cook 
Mrs. E. W. Stuart 
Mrs. C. E. Jones 



Public Improvement and 
Utilities 

E. R. Dow 
A. B. Rice 
Harry Carson 
R. J. Weeks 
C. L. Pingree 
A. G. Shorey 



Music 

R. H. Dyer 
W. R. Bennett 
Mrs. A. L. Oakes 



Pnnbng and Advertising 

C. E. Smith 
A. W. Lander 
J. O. Gilman 

C. T. Libby 

D. B. Jones 



QPflJrial Program 

Newport, Maine, SATURDAY, Jxme 13, 1914 



A. M. 

8:30 Parade of Children under five years of age; Main 
Street. 

9:30 Trades and Civic Parade. Routed Upper Elm St. 
to Main, to Mill, to Railroad, to Spring, to Main, 
to West, to North, to High, to Main, to Water, to 
Elm, to Main, to Shaw, and disband. 
Parade of Automobiles follow same route immediate- 
ly after, 
11:30 220 Yard Dash, Water St., between Middle and 
Main Sts. 

440 Yard Dash, Water St. 
Mile Race, starting on Main St. , front of Bank Block, 

AT SCHOOL GROUNDS 
Concert by Consolidated Bands. 
Exhibition Drill of Bondazee Co. No. 14, Uniform 
Rank K, of P., Madison, Maine., in full uniform. 
Singing of Star Spangled Banner by School Child- 
ren, followed by Oration by Hon. R€uel Robinson 
of Camden, Maine. 

3:15 AT RING'S FIELD. 

Base Ball Game, followed by Standing Broad Jump> 
Putting the Shot ; Horse Shoe Contest. Obstacle 
Race. Throwing Base Ball. Barrel Race. 

Running Broad Jump. High Jump. 

6:15 Boat Parade around Lake for benefit of former 
residents. 

Exhibition of Antiques at Town Hall during the day. 
Moving Pictures at Odd Follows' Hall, continuous 
from 10 A. M. to 6 P. M. and from 7 to 9 P. M. 
Starter for all Athletic Events, Lt. D. I. Gould of 
Bangor. 



11 


:40 


11 


:50 


P. 


M. 


1: 


:00 


I 


:15 


2 


:00 



(f^fiinal Program 



Newport, Maine, SUNDAY, June 14, 1914 

2:30 p. M. School House Grounds, weather permitting 
otherwise Odd Fellows Hall. 



Song Service, Rev. R. L. Kimbailt, Director 

Scripture Reading 

Selection by Male Quartette 

Prayer by Rev. C. N. Garland ol Rockland, Me, 

Singing 

Sermon by Bishop John W. Hamilton, D. D., L. L. D-, 

of Boston. 
Singing 



